D Is For...Dead Space!

In space no one can hear you scream...but they can in your bedroom hiding beneath the quilt while you try to escape the Necromorphs attempting to tear you apart limb by limb.


When I first saw a preview for Dead Space in a playstation magazine I thought it was just a trashy gorefest that wouldn't gather much attention. Just killing aliens on a spaceship by dismembering them? Yeah great fun. Just trashy.

Well I was wrong as Dead Space is survival horror at its best and the dismembering is actually quite clever and fun.

Don't give me that look...I'm not a psycho.

You play as Isaac Clarke, an unfortunate soul who happens to wake up on the Ishimura, a spaceship that has been overrun by monsters who are feasting on people left, right and centre and also changing some humans into monsters themselves. So you have to survive and discover the mystery behind it all. 

In terms of survival horror this game rivals Resident Evil and in my opinion is much better than it's last two outings, especially Resi 6...very disappointing in my opinion.

There are many tense moments and plenty that make you jump out of your seat. This could be a pipe letting out gas or a clang against metal. They happen at all the right moments and the team behind Dead Space have done an amazing job developing and designing this game. That team being Visceral Games.

At times you find yourself slowly peeking around a corner to check if a Necromorph is waiting for you but you need not worry as they will most likely drop out of air vents or appear behind you. Luckily you are armed with a trusty plasma cutter that slices the limbs off these monsters. That's the only way the can be killed. One hit won't do it. You need to dismember them. If one is running towards you then shoot off it's legs to see it fall to the ground in a heap, only for it to start crawling towards you creepily. Keep blasting and it will soon die. Does one have a sharp looking claw? Then blast off it's arms. Oh and when they are down you can stomp heavily on them to smash more limbs off! 
Yay!

There are plenty more weapons you can find and upgrade along the way to help you survive and you can also buy ammo and suit upgrades at vending machines as you progress because trust me you'll need them.

Another neat trick is stasis. A device you can use to slow time which comes in very handy when a Necromorph is diving through the air at you. Slow it down and blast away! There are also a few puzzles that require stasis.

Eventually you find out why the Necromorphs appeared and have to put things right. Roll on final boss fight!

Of course humans don't make the same mistake twice do they? That's why there are two sequels...

I haven't played the third yet but I hear it's more action based which sounds a bit disappointing given the 'poo your pants' moments the first two offer.

Oh and you know you've played too much Dead Space when you see a Necromorph running up your stairs!

Well worth a play but you might want to watch something light before going to bed; maybe My Little Pony or something? Not that I've ever watched that...

He sees you when you're sleeping...